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thehawk72's review against another edition
2.0
The concept was great, but it was written in a very predictable way that made it basically exactly like any other YA book in all of the world. Also, Josh had no personality whatsoever other than that he was Ella's friend and that's why she fell in love with him. *yawn* haven't we seen this before? Lame!
sharonsm_28's review against another edition
3.0
Actual Rating: 2.95
I thought this was a good read. I was disappointed with the ending. I thought the storyline had potential but I think the writing style didn't work for me. I thought this book was similar to The Lying Game because one twin pretends to be the other twin. The characters were okay. The ending was very anticlimactc, but I did like the fact that she admitted to herself that she can't be Maddy anymore. Overall, it was an okay read.
I thought this was a good read. I was disappointed with the ending. I thought the storyline had potential but I think the writing style didn't work for me. I thought this book was similar to The Lying Game because one twin pretends to be the other twin. The characters were okay. The ending was very anticlimactc, but I did like the fact that she admitted to herself that she can't be Maddy anymore. Overall, it was an okay read.
mouwuol's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
HOLY HELL!!!!! Best book ive read in a while and the book that has made me cry multiple times in a good while.
it would be 5 stars but (SPOILER AHEAD! goodreads doesn't let me use the spoiler thing for some reason?) everyones reaction to the truth being revealed was not realistic
HOLY HELL!!!!! Best book ive read in a while and the book that has made me cry multiple times in a good while.
it would be 5 stars but (SPOILER AHEAD! goodreads doesn't let me use the spoiler thing for some reason?) everyones reaction to the truth being revealed was not realistic
mmpickart's review against another edition
3.0
The Secrets We Keep has its flaws, but the one thing it does well is suspense. Even though I had problems with the plot and the characters while I was reading, I had to know what happened next, and I devoured the book quickly.
The book is about twins Ella and Maddy Lawton. They used to be close when they were younger, but drifted apart in high school. By the time they reach their senior year, they are very different and practically strangers. Maddy is the popular, outgoing one; Ella is the quiet, artsy intellect. Late one night, Maddy calls Ella and asks her to pick her up from a party. Ella begrudgingly does so, but the two get into an argument on the way home and have a terrible accident--and only one survives.
When Ella wakes up, she realizes everyone thinks she is Maddy. Having extreme survivor's guilt and believing that everyone would have preferred Maddy to be the survivor, Ella decides that she will be Maddy. But Ella's plan turns out to be much more difficult than she thought, because she quickly learns that her sister had a lot of secrets.
The plot definitely drives this story. It's not perfect, but it's interesting and will definitely grab readers' attentions. And most likely, they will be silently yelling at Ella and waiting for her to make a sensible choice.
My biggest problem with the book is definitely Ella's character, and more so her portrayal of Maddy than her true self. The author makes it a point to tell us (multiple times) that Ella has carefully studied her sister, and even though the two have very different personalities, Ella does a great job impersonating her sister and has done so successfully several times. But when Ella starts to resume Maddy's normal routine, she's terrible at acting as Maddy.
I know this was probably a choice made by the author to demonstrate Ella's guilt and remorse and how difficult everything is for her, but I never once felt like Ella was acting like anyone other than herself. I wanted to see the personality quirks and differences, and I never got to see that. I felt like it also caused a huge plot hole: how does no one notice that Maddy is really Ella?! She really sucks at the whole pretending to be her sister thing.
But like I said, all that aside, I did enjoy the book. I liked Ella (when she was being Ella), and I loved that the book kept me wanting more. I had to know Maddy's secrets, and I wanted to see how Ella handled everything. I just wish it was executed a little better. But if you can overlook the flaws or not think too much about the plot holes, The Secrets We Keep is a good one.
The book is about twins Ella and Maddy Lawton. They used to be close when they were younger, but drifted apart in high school. By the time they reach their senior year, they are very different and practically strangers. Maddy is the popular, outgoing one; Ella is the quiet, artsy intellect. Late one night, Maddy calls Ella and asks her to pick her up from a party. Ella begrudgingly does so, but the two get into an argument on the way home and have a terrible accident--and only one survives.
When Ella wakes up, she realizes everyone thinks she is Maddy. Having extreme survivor's guilt and believing that everyone would have preferred Maddy to be the survivor, Ella decides that she will be Maddy. But Ella's plan turns out to be much more difficult than she thought, because she quickly learns that her sister had a lot of secrets.
The plot definitely drives this story. It's not perfect, but it's interesting and will definitely grab readers' attentions. And most likely, they will be silently yelling at Ella and waiting for her to make a sensible choice.
My biggest problem with the book is definitely Ella's character, and more so her portrayal of Maddy than her true self. The author makes it a point to tell us (multiple times) that Ella has carefully studied her sister, and even though the two have very different personalities, Ella does a great job impersonating her sister and has done so successfully several times. But when Ella starts to resume Maddy's normal routine, she's terrible at acting as Maddy.
I know this was probably a choice made by the author to demonstrate Ella's guilt and remorse and how difficult everything is for her, but I never once felt like Ella was acting like anyone other than herself. I wanted to see the personality quirks and differences, and I never got to see that. I felt like it also caused a huge plot hole: how does no one notice that Maddy is really Ella?! She really sucks at the whole pretending to be her sister thing.
But like I said, all that aside, I did enjoy the book. I liked Ella (when she was being Ella), and I loved that the book kept me wanting more. I had to know Maddy's secrets, and I wanted to see how Ella handled everything. I just wish it was executed a little better. But if you can overlook the flaws or not think too much about the plot holes, The Secrets We Keep is a good one.
bookishrealm's review against another edition
2.0
Update! Here's my full review: http://www.bookishrealmreviews.com/2017/07/the-secrets-we-keep-by-trisha-leaver.html
I just want everyone to know that there are so many things wrong with this book. Things that could have easily been resolved but were they no. The whole thing was based around a stupid lie that had no consequences whatsoever. I don't understand how Ella got away with half the crap she did and it was because everyone felt sorry for her. The conclusion was even worse. It was the perfect happy ending and it shouldn't have been in the least bit. I don't recommend this book at all and I will be doing a full review.
I just want everyone to know that there are so many things wrong with this book. Things that could have easily been resolved but were they no. The whole thing was based around a stupid lie that had no consequences whatsoever. I don't understand how Ella got away with half the crap she did and it was because everyone felt sorry for her. The conclusion was even worse. It was the perfect happy ending and it shouldn't have been in the least bit. I don't recommend this book at all and I will be doing a full review.
emharragan's review against another edition
5.0
what kind of messed up motherfuckery was this? ughhhhhhhhh omg it captures the feeling of a twin so well this book had me on the verge of tears the whole time so that was lovely AND ALSO I HAVE A MATH QUIZ TMRW AND ITS TRISHA LEAVERS FAULT IF I FAIL
kkoerth613's review against another edition
5.0
So sad, but so good.
This book made me cry several times. It was so heartbreaking that she, Ella, felt that she had to be Maddy for her family and other people to love her. It was also sad how now matter how hard Ella tried to be Maddy, there was always someone who saw past her sisters face, and saw Ella hiding inside. Her parents didn't even realize that it was Ella inside and all their coddling was not helping because it made Ella feel even more obligated to live out Maddy's life. Aww, even when Bailey was constantly following her around because he knew it was Ella, even though Ella was playing as Maddy. Even when Josh had more than a few words with Ella, he knew it was Ella because of all the little things that one person does that makes them an individual.
I most definitely recommend to anyone.
Beautiful!
This book made me cry several times. It was so heartbreaking that she, Ella, felt that she had to be Maddy for her family and other people to love her. It was also sad how now matter how hard Ella tried to be Maddy, there was always someone who saw past her sisters face, and saw Ella hiding inside. Her parents didn't even realize that it was Ella inside and all their coddling was not helping because it made Ella feel even more obligated to live out Maddy's life. Aww, even when Bailey was constantly following her around because he knew it was Ella, even though Ella was playing as Maddy. Even when Josh had more than a few words with Ella, he knew it was Ella because of all the little things that one person does that makes them an individual.
I most definitely recommend to anyone.
Beautiful!
sienaro's review against another edition
2.0
This book had great potential. Identical twins, one dies, the other pretends to be her when she wakes up from unconsciousness not remembering anything. I was actually excited to read it. What I found, though, was bitter disappointment. I did not like Ella, the main character, and she never committed to any of her decisions. She should have actually been Maddy or owned up and it was very annoying to me when she did neither. The other characters also fell flat as we literally knew nothing about them except Josh wears ratty clothes usually and Alex is popular. There were a lot of ways this story could have gone to be interesting –such as memory loss gained in small snippets like the Adoration of Jenna Fox– but it fell short entirely. I honestly wished that Ella would have won the Snow Ball queen at the end because winning a crown at a high school dance court would have been the least cliché moment in this book.
On the bright side, its reading level is low and it only took me an hour to finish.
2 stars out of 5.
On the bright side, its reading level is low and it only took me an hour to finish.
2 stars out of 5.
hayhoov's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jskelton's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75